Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are tied by strong bonds of friendship and brotherhood.

In a meeting with Ambassador of Saudi Arabia Nawaf Saeed Al-Maliki who called on him in Islamabad on Monday, he said that the government is keen to further strengthen the bilateral relations by increasing cooperation in the economic sphere.

He said Pakistan highly values Saudi cooperation for development projects in Pakistan.

Ishaq Dar offered full cooperation and support to the Ambassador in his efforts to increase the quantum of economic activity between the two sides.

Meanwhile, a three member delegation of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank led by Vice President D J Pandian called on Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad on Monday.

Talking to the delegation the Minister said Pakistan is among the founding members of AIIB.

He said Pakistan has been a strong supporter of the idea of establishment of another multilateral institution to complement the efforts of the existing institutions in the region.

The Minister said the region faced a huge deficit in infrastructure and required substantial investments to fill the gaps.